Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis speaking as the Bahamas National Marijuana Commission presented its preliminary report. Photo: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff
By KHRISNA RUSSELL
Deputy Chief Reporter
krussell@tribunemedia.net
DECLARING that Bahamian marijuana users should not be considered criminals, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said he supports releasing from prison those convicted for having small amounts of the drug once the proper reforms and legal mechanisms are enacted.
Dr Minnis made a strong case yesterday for reformation, saying not only have laws led to convictions of Bahamians using the plant for religious, personal and medical reasons, but has caused unnecessary confrontations between police and citizens.
The situation he said has left “good” people burdened with criminal records that have made travel and finding work challenging. He also reiterated his support for expunging the records of those convicted for possessing small amounts of the drug.
The prime minister made the comments yesterday as the Bahamas National Marijuana Commission presented its preliminary report after several delays and the leak of an early version of the BNMC’s findings and recommendations.
The report was not made public yesterday, with officials telling The Tribune it would have to be presented to Cabinet first and then tabled at Parliament.
“The analysis and information contained within this report will help guide the policy decisions my government will take,” Dr Minnis said yesterday at the Office of the Prime Minister on West Bay Street.
“This report will be reviewed and considered within the context of our programme to expunge records for the use of small amounts of marijuana.
“When I stepped forward and entered public life, I did so to help people, especially those who came from humble circumstances like myself. Our laws regarding possession of small amounts of marijuana have unfortunately led to the arrest, prosecution, conviction and punishment of countless Bahamians who use the plant for religious purposes, personal or medical reasons.
“Our current marijuana prohibition causes unnecessary confrontations between police and citizens. I grew up and come from Over-the-Hill. I have seen first hand how our laws especially harm young people from modest backgrounds.
“Many good Bahamians have been burdened with criminal records making travel to certain countries impossible and finding work extremely difficult. Reforming our marijuana laws and changing how we treat people with conviction of possession of small amounts is a matter of social justice and fairness.”
He continued: “It is the decent and moral thing to do. As a country we should not consider Bahamian marijuana users as criminals.
“I have publicly declared my position on this matter. I support decriminalisation of the possession of small amounts of marijuana and making it legal for medical and scientific use. I support expunging the records of Bahamians convicted of possession of small amounts of marijuana. They deserve to move on with their lives free and clear of the stigma of a criminal conviction.
“Once our reform laws are passed and through proper legal mechanisms and procedures, I also support the release from prison for all those who are solely in prison for small amounts of marijuana.”
While the report has been submitted to government, the commission’s work will continue, with Co-Chairs Bishop Simeon Hall and former Senior Assistant Commissioner Quinn McCartney explaining there were plans to conduct a scientific survey to gauge Bahamians’ feelings on marijuana use.
“What we want to do as part of our work and part of our mission is to codify the views of the Bahamian public. So we want to actually go out there and have a scientific survey conducted,” Mr McCartney told reporters following the presentation.
“We have gone door-to-door, we have spoken to people one-on-one, we have spoken to people at town hall meetings, but we actually want to get it scientifically so that when we quote statistics and say a certain representative portion of the population said a particular thing it will hopefully be reflective of the views of the majority of Bahamians. We want to commission a group of persons who are experts in this field to actually get the scientific survey for us.”
However he could not give a definitive timeline regarding when this portion of the work will be complete.
Bishop Hall added that he was pleased the with commission’s work.
He noted that the body was able to fast track its work when compared to the protracted length of time it has taken other nations to complete a mandate of this kind.
He said: “Mind you most nations in the Caribbean and states in the United States took up to three and four years to get to some point. We did ours in 14 months at least preliminarily and so this is an ongoing process. It was rather ambitious to think we could complete something like this in 14 months. In fact at one point we were doing it from October to April and it couldn’t work and so this is an ongoing thing.
“One thing the final report gives emphasis to is good education information. This is voluminous the information both sides pro and con. Sometimes you hear people speak and they only have one perspective but this is much information on both sides and I encourage Bahamians to go in and search this information, see what this is all about and just read the information.”
Speaking for the Rastafarian community, Priest Rithmond McKinney said this was a move in the right direction.
“Our community over the years was talking about decriminalisation and expunging one’s records and what Rasta be going through over the years, the atrocities, so the prime minister’s statement is a win in the right direction. So, so far so good,” Priest McKinney said.
Comments
DWW 4 years, 2 months ago
meanwhile another piece in todays mentions 7 years wait for a trail to come to court. get the $%@$ done people.
joeblow 4 years, 2 months ago
Smells like an attempt to win an election to me!
ThisIsOurs 4 years, 2 months ago
smoke and mirrors
SP 4 years, 2 months ago
Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah! Since when has the government become so conscientious? They didn't bother to ask anyone anything "scientifically" when criminalizing pot and ruining untold 1000's of peoples lives. How come they need a scientific survey to legalize it after most of the western world has already done so?
Instead of wasting time on this, they need to conduct a scientific survey to gauge Bahamians’ feelings on the overwhelming numbers of Haitians in our country doing jobs that unemployed Bahamians should be doing!
bahamianson 4 years, 2 months ago
So, numbers became legal, joints legal, what's next? I know.....prostitution should be made legal Women and men should have a means to survive. The government can then tax it.
Ashinnabash 4 years, 2 months ago
Looks like abortion is next. Either that or LGBT marriage.
K4C 4 years, 2 months ago
darn did you miss that mail boat into the 21st century
Again ?
John 4 years, 2 months ago
This was America’s way of getting thousands of young, Black men in jail. Locking them up for possession of small amounts of marijuana or even conspiracy to possess. And many young men were used in experiments in jails to develop more powerful drugs and even to turn them into violent predators, who will eventually kill. And so Minnis and every government must tread carefully. Yes persons in jail for small amounts of grass should be released and eventually have their criminal records for marijuana possession expunged, but government should not appear to be giving persons Carte Blanche to go smoke until their eyes fall out. There has to be strict regulation, even if government decides to legalize possession of small amounts of it. There must be educational programs and rehabilitation efforts must be strengthened. And persons who constantly abuse the laws or their new freedoms must be aware that they can find themselves back behind bars and with less sympathy this time.
Sickened 4 years, 2 months ago
Excellent! Finally a government and a leader with sense - at least on this topic. Get this done now and then move on to bigger things.
birdiestrachan 4 years, 2 months ago
Shame on doc he will do anything that he thinks will cause him to win an election.
to many young men were put in jail for minor offences. they should of done community service When Mr Gray stood up for a young man from a family island to prevent him from going to jail it was this same hypocrite doc. who had a uproar.
roc wit doc the next time you look in the glass. remember God does not like ugly.
moncurcool 4 years, 2 months ago
Please, the PLP never stood up for for young men and Alfred Gray was abusing his office as a minister in what he was doing. Stop the PLP rhetoric.
John 4 years, 2 months ago
Both the cigarettes and alcohol industry has been on a decline for years. Yet someone around the world dies from a (cigarette) smoking disease every 6 seconds. So these industries are more and more aggressively trying to recruit customers. They targeted areas like India and Thailand where advertising rules are less stringent and population is dense. The commercialization of marijuana will create new problems, so governments must be strict in their regulations.
Well_mudda_take_sic 4 years, 2 months ago
This shortsighted foolishness is being driven by prison over-crowding among other things. Bahamians need to brace themselves for a major increase in the level of violent crimes. Many of the convicts Tweedle-Dumb Minnis is proposing be released from prison are now 'hardened' criminals, having become so while in prison if not before their incarceration.
As for the records of these criminals being expunged, one can only begin to imagine the ratcheted up vetting process all Bahamians will have to go through to gain entry to the U.S. on a B1 or B2 visa.
Minnis can't think past his nose and is pandering to pot smoking voters who are even more manipulable than the dumbed-down illiterate voter with an F- quality of education from our dysfunctional public education system.
tired_of_the_idiocy 4 years, 2 months ago
Can you see past your own nose? The number of persons who WON'T be going to prison in the future because of simple marijuana possession will be more than those eligible for release pending the legislation; meaning in the aggregate less people BECOMING 'hardened criminals' by not being in that situation in the first place. How could you not see that? Furthermore of all the jurisdictions in the world that have have legalized marijuana, or in the case of Portugal decriminalized all drug use, violent crime has gone down. Empirical fact. I been reading your nonsense on here for too long. You think yourself clever but you're not, criticizing the 'dumb illiterate voter' without offering any example of critical thinking. You lack nuance and self awareness to such a degree that insulting the intelligence of others embarrisngly highlights your own ignorance.
birdiestrachan 4 years, 2 months ago
REMEMBER urban renewal and the youth bands. Remember the youth programs for young men.
Ask the former Deacon Jeff Lloyd if he can speak the Truth he knows all about those Programs.
There is the saying "If man could learn from history what lessons it would teach"
Facts and truth will survive the times.
birdiestrachan 4 years, 2 months ago
No one can beat doc. remember doc and Moultrie at Cabbage Beach. What happened to that. Was that incident upholding the law.
Remember John Mosko Nolle Proseque a far greater offence than the poor black young man in the family island.
John 4 years, 2 months ago
This is a hot potato and no matter what decision the government makes there will be repercussions. The main thing is not to rush to a decision. In fact, it can be a decision where the results are phased in over a period of time. The government doesn't ever want to appear to be telling people, "there's no more jail time and there is no more criminal record for small amounts of drugs, so it's ok to abuse it."
TalRussell 4 years, 2 months ago
Comrades shouldn't never been sent up Fox Hill Prison for selling a couple of bags of pot - those serving jail time, must equally be freed. Far too many families have watched loved ones die as prisoners whilst serving out jail time sentences for selling but couple bags pot.
joeblow 4 years, 2 months ago
Maybe its just me, but I think an educated workforce and curbing illegal immigration are far greater priorities!
Well_mudda_take_sic 4 years, 2 months ago
ditto that
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